The Cheapest Car Insurance in Illinois (April 2023)

Mercury is the cheapest car insurance company in Illinois for a minimum coverage policy. Progressive has the most affordable rates for teen drivers. American Family is the least expensive insurer for a full coverage, young adults, drivers with sports cars and those with at-fault accidents, speeding tickets, DUIs and military members. Country Financial is preferable for seniors and drivers with poor credit.

If you’re looking to balance cost with service quality, MoneyGeek identified the best car insurance companies in Illinois.

In Illinois, the cheapest auto insurance companies for a minimum coverage policy are:

• Mercury: $241 per year
• Country Financial: $250 per year

The most expensive minimum coverage car insurance in Illinois is offered by Allstate at roughly $568 per year. Car insurance that meets Illinois’ minimum car insurance requirements covers bodily injury liability, property damage liability and uninsured or underinsured motorist insurance.

Car insurance with minimum coverage only pays for the cost of damages or injuries you inflict on others in an accident. If you want protection that extends to your own vehicle, consider buying a full coverage policy that includes comprehensive and collision insurance.

Our study determined that the cheapest full coverage car insurance companies in Illinois are:

• American Family: $696 per year
• Country Financial: $708 per year

The most expensive full coverage policy in Illinois costs roughly $1,815 per year from Hanover.

Adding comprehensive and collision insurance to your auto policy will make your premium more expensive. For example, American Family’s full coverage car insurance costs an average of $455 more than its policy with minimum coverage. A full coverage policy will financially protect you and your vehicle against damages caused by on-road accidents (hitting another car or object) and off-road incidents (vandalism or theft).

How much car insurance you need will significantly influence your rates. Our study’s sample full coverage policy has the following liability limits:

• $100,000 bodily injury per person
• $300,000 bodily injury per accident
• $100,000 property damage per accident

To reduce your premium, you can lower your liability limits, remove comprehensive and collision insurance or raise your deductible. That said, you risk having insufficient coverage in the event of an accident.

You can get quotes online from different car insurance providers, but you have to submit personal information for each one, which can take up to 15 minutes. To compare rates across multiple companies, you need to spend more of your time repeating this process.

Our car insurance calculator can help you get a quick estimate without providing specific personal details. Enter your age, gender and driving record below to find the lowest rates for your profile.

The two companies providing the cheapest car insurance for teens in Illinois are:

• Progressive: $2,195 per year for teen boys and $1,906 per year for teen girls
• Auto-Owners Insurance Co: $2,026 per year for teen boys; Travelers: $2,047 per year for teen girls

GEICO offers the most expensive car insurance in Illinois for teen boys and girls, at an average of $3,217 per year and $2,932 per year, respectively. These rates are for a 16-year-old on a parent’s policy.

Among the teens, 19-year-olds pay the cheapest car insurance premiums because teens' rates decrease as they age. Auto-Owners Insurance Co ($1,609 per year) has the lowest rates for 19-year-old males in Illinois compared to its competitors.

Teens tend to pay less if they are added to a parent’s policy than if they buy separate insurance. In Illinois, 16-year-olds may save around $2,566 per year if they’re on a parent’s policy instead of buying their own policy.

Families in Illinois who want to reduce their insurance premiums may qualify for student discounts. Many companies, including Auto-Owners, Allstate, Progressive and State Farm, offer discounts for both students away from home and those with good academic performance.

We discovered that the companies providing the cheapest car insurance in Illinois for drivers in their 20s are:

• American Family: $746 per year
• Country Financial: $903 per year

At an average of $2,354 per year, Hanover charges the most for young adult drivers. In addition, 25-year-old drivers in Illinois pay about $50 more for an American Family policy than a 40-year-old.

The following companies offer the most affordable car insurance for seniors in Illinois:

• Country Financial: $650 per year
• American Family: $677 per year

Hanover provides the highest rate for senior drivers, at roughly $1,681 per year. In Illinois, drivers in their 60s pay about $46 less for Country Financial insurance coverage than those in their 40s. However, rates typically increase when drivers reach their 70s and 80s.

Allstate, GEICO and Mercury all provide discounts to senior drivers in Illinois who want to save on premiums. Since various factors besides age are used to calculate rates, comparing multiple providers is the best way to find the cheapest car insurance.

Our study found that American Family is the cheapest insurance provider for drivers in Illinois with speeding tickets, with at-fault accidents and those with DUIs.

You may take state-approved driving courses to gradually improve your profile and get more affordable insurance options.

For Illinois drivers with a speeding ticket, the cheapest car insurance companies are:

• American Family: $835 per year
• Country Financial: $917 per year

Grange Insurance offers the most expensive coverage for drivers with tickets, at approximately $1,857 per year. In Illinois, getting a speeding ticket may increase your car insurance premium by $244.

The following insurers provide the cheapest car insurance for Illinois drivers with an at-fault accident:

• American Family: $817 per year
• Country Financial: $1,017 per year

Hanover offers the most expensive rate at an average of $2,797 per year. Expect to pay roughly $469 more for car insurance in Illinois after an at-fault accident.

The least expensive car insurance companies in Illinois for drivers with a DUI are:

• American Family: $835 per year
• State Farm: $963 per year

Hanover offers the most expensive rate, at roughly $2,995 per year. Illinois drivers with a DUI on their record tend to pay about $615 more for car insurance than those with a clean record.

In Illinois, the most affordable car insurance providers for drivers with poor credit are:

• Country Financial: $1,024 per year
• American Family: $1,267 per year

At $2,540 per year, Auto-Owners Insurance is the most expensive insurer for drivers with poor credit. Insurance companies in Illinois consider credit scores when calculating rates. Drivers with credit scores below 580 often pay about $724 more for coverage than those with credit scores above 750.

Auto insurance companies found that those with poor credit are more likely to file claims, so they charge higher premiums to offset the costs of covering these drivers. Like many other states, Illinois allows insurers to consider credit scores when calculating rates.

While improving your credit score gradually, you may seek companies that offer safe-driver or other discounts to help lower your insurance rate.

The following companies provide the least expensive car insurance for drivers in Illinois with a sports car:

• American Family: $655 per year
• Auto-Owners Insurance Co: $850 per year

The most expensive provider is Progressive, with an average annual premium of $2,038. Since sports cars have higher repair and replacement costs, Illinois drivers with a sports car tend to pay $131 more for car insurance than those with a standard Toyota Camry.

We used a Ford Mustang for the quotes above, but car insurance costs can still vary greatly based on the car model. Luxury, electric and sports cars often require more expensive insurance coverage than standard vehicles.

At an average of $696 per year, American Family is the cheapest car insurance provider for active military members and veterans in Illinois.

USAA also offers acceptable rates to military families, at roughly $1,033 per year. This insurer is available in all states and tailors its service to those with a military background. However, there are many cheaper options for military personnel in Illinois.

Various factors significantly affect the cost of car insurance in Illinois, including the city where you live. Living in a neighborhood with higher rates of accidents, thefts or vandalism may make you more likely to file claims, so your premiums may be more expensive.

According to our study, the cheapest city in Illinois for car insurance is Peoria, where a full coverage policy from Country Financial has an average annual rate of $618. Country Financial is also the most affordable option in Springfield, at approximately $628 per year.

Auto insurance is most expensive in Chicago, where a full coverage policy costs roughly $939 per year with Country Financial.

Check our table of Illinois cities to see how the average cost of car insurance changes depending on the location.

In Illinois, drivers are required to carry a policy that includes uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage along with bodily injury liability (BIL) and property damage liability (PDL). They also have the option to self-insure if they own at least 25 cars.

Illinois drivers are required to carry insurance that meets the minimum requirements for bodily injury liability, property damage liability and uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage. A minimum coverage policy is the cheapest insurance you can purchase, but it may not offer adequate coverage in case of an accident.

Additionally, SR-22 insurance is needed for drivers with serious traffic violations like reckless driving, driving without insurance, driving under the influence or driving with a suspended license.

To ensure adequate protection in case of an accident, consider raising your liability limits to $100,000 in bodily injury for each person, $300,000 in bodily injury for each accident and $100,000 in property damage. You will likely be required to add comprehensive and collision insurance to your policy if you financed your car purchase.

Comprehensive insurance covers the damage to your vehicle caused by vandalism, fires, natural disasters and weather-related incidents. Collision insurance pays for the damages to your car after hitting another car or a stationary object.

Although they’re not required, consider getting comprehensive and collision insurance if you own a valuable car.

Unless you have more than 25 vehicles registered under your name, there’s no alternative to car insurance in Illinois. If you own more than 25 cars, you may qualify for self-insurance. This means you will assume all financial responsibilities in case of a vehicular accident, including the cost of repairs and medical treatments.

To obtain a certificate of self-insurance from the Director of the Department of Insurance, you must be financially capable of paying for claims as a minimum coverage policy would.

However, the Director may cancel your certificate of self-insurance if you fail to cover damaged vehicles in the event of an accident.

It’s common to have questions about cost and quality when looking for car insurance. Our answers to some commonly asked questions can help you better understand car insurance in Illinois.